BURBANK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today at a Time Warner investors meeting, Warner Bros.’ Chairman and CEO
Kevin Tsujihara outlined an aggressive content strategy for the Studio
aimed at increasing profits while “doubling down on outstanding content,
working with the best talent and maintaining the culture that makes
Warner Bros. so great.”

“The demand for high quality video content is growing fast – in the
United States and around the world – as new technologies have created
new platforms and millions of new connected consumers,” said Tsujihara.
“The opportunity is huge. And no studio is better positioned to take
advantage of it than Warner Bros.”

As part of his presentation, Tsujihara announced a bold expansion of the
industry’s broadest theatrical slate, built around the largest, most
important global franchises. Warner Bros. Pictures will release three
LEGO-branded films over the next four years, building upon the enormous
success of this year’s “The LEGO Movie” ($468 million worldwide box
office), starting with “Ninjago” in 2016, directed by Charlie Bean and
produced by Dan Lin, Roy Lee, Phil Lord and Chris Miller. Batman will
take a star turn in “The LEGO Batman Movie” in 2017, directed by Chris
McKay, and the sequel, “The LEGO Movie 2,” will debut in 2018.

The Studio will release three pictures, in 2016, 2018 and 2020, based on
best-selling author J.K. Rowling’s original story and screenwriting
debut, “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them.” Set in an extension of
her familiar wizarding world, featuring magical creatures and characters
inspired by Harry Potter’s Hogwarts textbook and its fictitious author,
Newt Scamander, “Fantastic Beasts” will be directed by David Yates, who
directed the last four Harry Potter movies, and reunite the filmmaking
team of David Heyman, J.K. Rowling, Steve Kloves and Lionel Wigram.

And, in a massive expansion of the Studio’s DC Entertainment-branded
content, Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema will release a slate
of at least 10 movies—as well as stand-alone Batman and Superman
films—from 2016 through 2020 that expands this prized universe of
characters:

“Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice,” directed by Zack Snyder (2016)

“Suicide Squad,” directed by David Ayer (2016)

“Wonder Woman,” starring Gal Gadot (2017)

“Justice League Part One,” directed by Zack Snyder, with Ben Affleck,
Henry Cavill and Amy Adams reprising their roles (2017)

“The Flash,” starring Ezra Miller (2018)

“Aquaman,” starring Jason Momoa (2018)

“Shazam” (2019)

“Justice League Part Two,” directed by Zack Snyder (2019)

“Cyborg,” starring Ray Fisher (2020)

“Green Lantern” (2020)

On the television front, Warner Bros. Television Group is the undisputed
industry leader, providing 32 shows to the five broadcast networks and
an overall roster of more than 60 shows among network, cable, first-run
syndication and animation. WBTVG will grow its leadership across
multiple fronts, including cable, premium platform and kids programming
as well as further its precedent-setting activities in SVOD and
international television production and format sales.

For Turner, Warner Horizon Television’s “Rizzoli & Isles” and Warner
Bros. Television’s “Major Crimes” are two of the top three scripted
series on all of basic cable for 2014, and the #1 and #2 shows,
respectively, on TNT. The Studio has a number of future projects set up
at TNT, including a pilot production order for an untitled drama set in
the unpredictable world of the Florida cocaine trade in the 1970s, from
Jerry Bruckheimer, Michael Bay and Michelle Ashford, and is in
development on “Titans,” from Academy Award-winner Akiva Goldsman and
Marc Haimes, based upon the DC Comics characters.

At HBO, WBTV’s first series for the premium television company, the
critically acclaimed “The Leftovers,” debuted this summer and has
already been picked up for a second season. WBTV has also produced the
pilot “Westworld,” from executive producers J.J. Abrams, Jonathan Nolan,
Jerry Weintraub and Lisa Joy, and starring Sir Anthony Hopkins, Ed
Harris and Evan Rachel Wood, and has a number of other projects in
development at the company.

Warner Bros. Animation is producing new series based on the Studio’s
iconic brands, such as the upcoming “Be Cool Scooby-Doo!” and “The Tom
and Jerry Show.” WBA’s “Teen Titans Go!” ranks as the #1 show in its
timeslot against all kids’ networks.

For the first time ever, Warner Bros. Worldwide Television Distribution
has licensed the exclusive subscription-video-on-demand (SVOD) rights to
one of television’s most successful series ever, WBTV’s “Friends,” to
Netflix in the U.S. and Canada. Starting January 1, 2015, Netflix
members will have access to the entire 236 episode run of the series,
which is still an enormous linear hit on cable (Nick at Nite and TBS)
and in broadcast syndication.

Worldwide Television Distribution has also sold the off-network SVOD
rights to the hit Warner Bros. Television series “Person of Interest” to
Netflix in the United States. The first three seasons of the series,
which currently airs on CBS, will be made available to subscribers in
fall 2015, at the same time the series premieres off-network on WGN
America.

These two deals are just the latest examples of how the Studio’s hit
series continue to serve as annuities for decades beyond their initial
broadcast. Further increasing the value of Warner Bros.’ library, since
1999, WBTVG has developed and produced 20 series that have reached the
100-episode milestone or will do so during the 2014–15 season.

“At Warner Bros., we are united to not only continue to create the
world’s greatest entertainment content, but to over-deliver on our
financial targets,” said Tsujihara. “I’ve been with the company for over
20 years and I can’t remember a time when I’ve felt more confident about
our future. We’re committed to maintaining and enhancing the great
legacy of Warner Bros., the world’s most iconic and profitable studio.”